Richard Burr: “I rise today to honor and celebrate the life of C.D. ``Dick'' Spangler, a great North Carolinian who passed away earlier…”

“I rise today to honor and celebrate the life of C.D. ``Dick'' Spangler, a great North Carolinian who passed away earlier this week. The true mark of a great man, a great contributor to our society is the fact that there are several acts in that individual's life, there is no one single attribute to which to ascribe that contribution, and Dick Spangler was such a man. In that first act, Dick built an impressive wealth, at the time making him one of the wealthiest individuals in this country in the family construction and real estate business. The son of a Charlotte contractor and real estate investor, Dick attended Woodberry Forest School, then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Business School. After serving 2 years in the Army, he moved back to his native North Carolina to work in the family business, C.D. Spangler Construction. In 1973, while continuing to serve in the family's construction company, Dick became chairman of a little bank at the time, the Bank of North Carolina, and was subsequently elected director of NCNB, which would eventually be sold to Bank of America. Although he was a brilliant businessman, in my mind Dick Spangler will best be remembered in our State for his commitment to education and what it means for lifting individuals out of poverty, giving them a path for learning, and expressing their individuality.…”